Mansour calls for reaching ceasefire in Gaza, putting an end to forced displacement

The Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour has urged the UN Security Council and the international community to take immediate measures as to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance and halt the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians.

In letters to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council and the President of the UN General Assembly, Mansour highlighted Israel’s continued aggressive attacks against the Palestinian civilians for almost 100 days.

Mansour said “despite the toll reaching approximately 100,000 casualties, there is still no ceasefire, which leads to the daily loss of innocent lives.” He underscored the devastating impact of Israel’s war, resulting in the deaths of 23,708 civilians, including children, women, and men. Over 60,000 others have been injured, with more than 7,000 individuals still missing under the rubble.

The Palestinian diplomat emphasized that Israel’s crimes are not confined to Gaza, citing over 332 casualties and 4,157 injuries in attacks launched by Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers in the West Bank, including East Al-Quds (Jerusalem), since the beginning of the aggression.

All Palestinian civilians have fallen victim to Israel’s genocidal aggression, characterized by continuous attempts of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, including what is misleadingly termed “voluntary migration”, Mansour also said.

He talked about the suffering of all citizens, who are facing hunger and thirst due to Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid, noting that the rapid spread of diseases among citizens is worsening. He stressed that this aggression is unprecedented in terms of its scale and speed in killing and injuring civilians, especially children, UN personnel, medical professionals, and journalists.

He called on all countries to act in both word and deed in support for international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, to put an end to the crisis in Gaza.

He urged all nations to take immediate steps as to ensure an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, protect civilian populations, expedite humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and prevent further escalation in an already catastrophic situation.

Hamda Mustafa